BOISE (AP) — Lawmakers have approved a 3.5 percent increase for Idaho's Department of Correction, with much of the boost going to contracted medical services and community-based treatment programs.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved the $189.4 million budget Monday, an increase of more than $6.4 million from the previous year.

The department is faced with full prisons and a growing inmate population, and included in the new budget is $1.5 million from the general fund to cover the cost of housing overflow inmates in county jails.

In the past the state has been forced to send inmates to out-of-state prisons to avoid overcrowding, and department spokesman Jeff Ray said officials expect to be forced to do so again at the end of 2012.

Department employees will also see a slight boost, with the committee approving nearly $1.5 million for changes to employee compensation rates. But even with the increase, pay for Idaho Department of Correction employees still lags behind that offered in neighboring states.

Idaho's prison guards have a median hourly wage of $14.38, compared to $19.49 in Wyoming, $23.56 in Oregon and $26.81 in Nevada.

Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, told fellow finance committee members she was worried that the increase in the approved budget wouldn't be enough to stop employees from leaving the department.

The turnover rate was 14 percent department-wide during fiscal year 2012, and 19 percent among guards.

"The department's had a really difficult time with retention of employees, just trying to address what has become really serious turnover," LeFavour said. "I'm a little bit worried that we haven't quite addressed that."

Almost $1.3 million in general fund money will go to cover an annual rate adjustment for Corizon, the company that provides medical services for all the state prisons.

Corrections Corporation of America, the company that runs the Idaho Correctional Center for the state, is also getting an additional $912,500 for its annual rate increase.

Another $3.8 million will go to cover community-based treatment services, which is largely handled by private companies.